As many wait for the Supreme Court’s decision later this term on same-sex marriages, one issue that seems to get lost in the shuffle is the fact that there is still no federal law prohibiting discrimination in employment on the basis of sexual orientation.

For employers in Connecticut, this is basically a non-issue because Connecticut

At a Sentencing Commssion hearing last week, former state lawmaker Ernie Newton — who was convicted in 2006 on corruption charges — urged commission members to address hiring discrimination against ex-felons, reports CT News Junkie.  There is no indication yet that they will do so, but his comments raised some eyebrows in the press.

Newton’s

As the legislative session winds down, there’s one big issue still alive that has been passing mostly under the radar of the mainstream press.  (To the CBIA’s credit, they’ve been tracking this bill for a while.)

Under current law, an employee has the right to inspect and receive a copy of his or her personnel

UPDATED June 9, 2011 – The House approved the measure late last night, June 8th. For additional details, see this updated post.

In the closing hours of the General Assembly’s term, the Connecticut Senate has passed a bill yesterday that would ban the use of credit reports by employers in many situations.

Senate Bill

Early Saturday morning, the Connecticut General Assembly passed two bills that will have a significant impact on employers in Connecticut.  Both bills now need to be signed by the Governor (who has indicated he will sign them).

First, the Senate passed House Bill 6599, which adds “gender identity or expression” as a new protected

Last night, after many hours of debate, the Connecticut House passed the so-called "captive audience" bill that would prohibit employers from requiring their workers to attend meetings concerning views on politics and religion.

But the truth is the bill (H.B. 5460) is really about one thing: prohibiting employers from talking about unions when a vote on

Earlier today, I visited with John Dankosky on his wonderful WNPR show, "Where We Live".  You can listen to the replay on its website here.  

In the discussion, we touched on a variety of topics including the proposed Paycheck Fairness Act, which did not get through a procedural vote last week.

As